Littlefield is a city in and the county seat of Lamb County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,507 at the 2000 census. At the (July 7, 2008) estimate the population was estimated to be 7,608. It is located in a significant cotton growing region, northwest of Lubbock on the Llano Estacado just south of the beginning of the Texas Panhandle. Littlefield has a large denim manufacturing plant operated by American Cotton Growers.

Littlefield is named for George W. Littlefield (1842-1920), a Mississippi native, Confederate States of America officer, rancher, banker, and benefactor of the University of Texas at Austin.

Littlefield houses the Bill Clayton Detention Center, a 310-bed medium-security facility, which is named for the former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, who resided in Springlake.

Near Littlefield is the Triple Arrow Ranch, known for its historical remnants, owned by Lamb County Commissioner's Court Judge and Mrs. William A. Thompson, Jr.

Geography and Climate

Littlefield is located at (33.919561, -102.332660).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.0 square miles (15.5 km²).None of the area is covered with water.

Littlefield has a mild, semi-arid climate.[15] On average, Littlefield receives 18 inches of rain and ten inches of snow per year.[16]

Summers in Littlefield are hot, although temperatures usually drop 30 degrees overnight, creating lows between 60 °F (16 °C) and 70 °F (21 °C). Average high temperatures are about 90 °F (32 °C) in June, July, and August. The highest recorded temperature was 114 °F (46 °C) in 1994.[17]

Winter days in Littlefield are typically sunny and relatively mild, but nights are cold with temperatures dipping below freezing.

Economy

Although Littlefields economy is highly driven on the regions cotton growing its economy has greatly increased due to many more industries and buisinesses relocating to here. It is home to the Vertical Turbine Specialist which relocated from Houston, Texas. The city is also home to Lowes Pay and Save one of the largest growing grocery store chains in the southwest. Littlefields economy is also growing due to many people moving away from the large city of Lubbock which brings much needed workers for more buisinesses. Littlefield is also home to an off campus of South Plains College. In August of 2008 Littlefield was selected as the new location for a Biodiesel Plant. Soon after seven more plants have been planned two of which are in the construction phase making Littlefield the biodiesel capitol of Texas. These new plants will also bring many opportunities for future development of renewable energy sources. A new strip center is being planned due to the many new industries bringing hundreds more people to the city. A distribution center is being constructed on the north side of town.

Tourism

Littlefield is home to the worlds tallest windmill. It is also home to Bull Lake which is about five minutes from town.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,507 people, 2,390 households, and 1,699 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,085.4 people per square mile (419.4/km²). There were 2,784 housing units at an average density of 464.4/sq mi (179.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.10% White, 5.38% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 14.62% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 45.83% of the population.

There were 2,390 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,271, and the median income for a family was $29,842. Males had a median income of $25,978 versus $20,160 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,018. About 18.8% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

By Air

• Littlefield is served by Lubbock International Airport, which is in Lubbock, Texas, United States.
• Littlefield's Regional airport Littlefield Muninciple Airport, also used for more general aviation, is located about two miles out of town. The runway is large enough that it can accommodate small jets.

Lubbock International Airport is served by:

• American Airlines operated by American Eagle
• Southwest Airlines
• Continental Airlines operated by Continental Express
• New Mexico Airlines

By Car

• U.S. Highway 385
• U.S. Highway 84
• U.S. Highway 70

Education

The City of Littlefield is served by the Littlefield Independent School District. The City of Littlefield is also served by an off branch of South Plains College.

Notable Events

The most westerly piece of debris (a Thermal Protection System tile) from the Feb 1, 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was found in a field here.

Notable residents and natives

• Waylon Jennings (1937-2002), singer
• Tom Jones (born 1928), Broadway playwright
• Ralph Elmer Maurer (November 15, 1907 – February 23, 2007) was a highly regarded physician and surgeon, with a speciality in orthopedics, who practiced in Littlefield from 1945 until his retirement in 1993. Maurer's father emigrated in 1913 from the Ukraine to the United States, but because of World War I, the family could not be reunited in New York City until 1920, when Maurer was twelve years of age. Maurer attended New York University and in 1937 earned his M.D. degree from the University of Berne in Switzerland. Maurer, who was of Austro-Hungarian ethnicity, was inducted as a captain into the United States Army Medical Service and participated in the North African Campaign, the invasion of Italy, and the battle of Anzio. His military tenure introduced him to new orthopedic techniques learned from a German surgeon in a captured field hospital. He applied this knowledge to improving the surgical care of Allied soldiers and his subsequent patients in Littlefield. On leaving the military, Maurer accepted a position at the Payne-Shotwell Hospital. He recalled having arrived in Littlefield on the last day of 1945 during a blinding sandstorm.
• James Edwin Shotwell (August 14, 1920 - August 2008) was a Littlefield dentist, a United States Air Force captain, and a former member of the Littlefield City Council. A native of Jacksonville and a graduate of the Loyola University Dental School in New Orleans, Shotwell was a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International and a member of the United Methodist Church. He was preceded in death by his wife, June, and was survived by two daughters.
• Lisa Whelchel (born 1963), actress

References

External links

• Littlefield in The Handbook of Texas
• Open Directory Category